Soler: "Winning two trophies is something very important for me"

Just days after winning the Under-21s European Championships with Spain, Valencia CF player Carlos Soler chatted to VCF MEDIA RADIO to reflect on what has been a successful few weeks on both a national team and club level.

"I'm very happy. Two years ago we missed out against Germany in the final, and this time we won," said Soler in the interview. "We had very good moments in the tournament, such as the wins against France and Poland, and you also learn from your mistakes and defeats -like what happened in the game against Italy. We finished the competition very well. The victory against Germany was a fair result."

Soler came close to scoring one of the goals of the tournament in the semifinal against France, and hit the crossbar in the final, but he put the collective above individual moments.

"I wasn't fortunate enough to score a goal, but the important thing was that I enjoyed myself and that we won the European Championships. We all wanted it, and for me personally ending the season with two winner's medals is something I'm not sure will happen again. I hope it does."

The VCF Academy product was part of the winning side in the Copa del Rey in the last domestic game of 2018/19, and is still feeling the buzz from that momentous night at the Benito Villamarín.

"Winning one of the two trophies this season with Valencia CF, at my age, as a homegrown player, isn't something that you can put into words. It's important to experience those moments, and I'm very happy about it," explained the 22 year-old.

"The Euros wasn't with Valencia CF, but winning two trophies is something very important for me."

"In LaLiga we fought back to climb up the table, and in the Copa del Rey we came back from behind in several games. It's that winning gene that wins you trophies. We had the same thing with Spain: We started off by losing, and that winning gene the squad had took us to victory in the European Championships."

It will be tough to beat the achievements of 2018/19, but the young Spanish star already has his eyes on the next challenge.

"You have to take a step forward every season, on both a collective and personal level. As a club, we've had two very good seasons, but we have to take things step-by-step and not set our goals too far ahead. We need to go game-by-game, because if we face it as something important every time, then in the end we can achieve beautiful things. Now it's time to rest, and return to action fully recharged."